Gloves – The reduction of the damage in combat sports

Gloves represent a significant part of the equipment in the combative sports. They are crucial for both the training and matches. They are there to reduce the damage the fighter takes while punching the opponent.

Gloves aren’t created to reduce the damage one person does to another, but they do soften the blows and thus limit the damage that is done in a short-term fashion. But evidence shows that when it comes to long-term harm, gloves increase it as they force the fighter to increase the number of punches that are necessary to take down the opponent.

Boxing gloves- where it all started

Gloves were first introduced into boxing to prolong fights and protect wearers’ knuckles from sustaining injuries during bouts and practice. This piece of equipment act as cushions that reduces the impact through dissipation of the force that is created during the punch. The primary issue that many people address when it comes to boxing gloves is that they allow for more powerful punches without any risk of damaging the hand that delivers the punch.

Boxing gloves do an excellent job in preventing facial injuries as the force of the blow is cushioned and spread over the bigger surface. The issue with this is the increase in the number of punches that fighters used to defeat their opponents. This increased the number of boxers that suffered brain damage and other long-term injuries.

MMA gloves – Versatility over power

Unlike boxing, MMA gloves are small and have openings for fingers which allow for grabbing, which makes a large part of MMA fighting. These gloves are used in all types of mixed martial art fights where fighters can use a broad array of fighting styles to take down their opponents.

The first time these gloves went into use was in Japan at the Shooto promotion. UFC saw how those gloves were useful and they adopted them into all of their promotions. The use of these gloves causes more injuries to fighters, but this is only limited to short-term injuries. The lack of cushioning in the MMA gloves means that the fights are shorter as enemies get easily knocked out by direct punches to the head.